Gravestone Preservation & Restoration Information
to Help Promote Restoring Historic Cemeteries
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NewsBreathing New Life Into Montana's CemeteriesBy KFBB News Team Montana has thousands of historic cemeteries in need of repair and maintenance, and on Friday, a nationally known gravestone and cemetery care expert held a workshop at the Benton Avenue Cemetery in Helena to share his special knowledge. They seem strong and durable- built to last forever- but gravestones become fragile over time and require lots of care if they are to remain precious pieces of history. Graveyards contain within them priceless historical information, and gravestones are often the only thing remaining in their original locations from previous generations. However, some worry that our graveyards are already in an advanced state of decay, and they recognize the risk of losing this history if something is not done about it. Jonathan Appell, an expert on cemetery conservation, explains, “How we treat our history relates to how, you know, our society is as a whole. I mean, there’s so much that’s lost, so much historic material has been lost. Our history reflects on, you know, our attitude of the present and future.” Appell dedicates his life to the preservation and restoration of cemeteries. He spreads his knowledge by holding workshops across the country and teaching others techniques such as tombstone repair, care and cleaning of headstones, and how to conserve and maintain cemeteries. He explains, “We cover many different subjects. It's a really diverse kind of subject matter that ties together historic masonry, touches on archaeology, burial traditions, ichnography is touched on, so it’s many, many different disciplines are touched on.” Appell says he recognizes that we live in a world where environmental elements are a source of degradation, land development infringes upon graveyards and diminishes their historic perspective, and changing attitudes towards death and burial customs leave few opportunities available for those who want to safeguard our heritage carved in stone. He says, “It’s kind of a specialized niche, and there’s not many people that specialize in it. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of funding in many areas that are designated for this, and therefore, you know, it often times falls between the cracks, if you will.” Appell’s workshops receive positive feedback, and those who attend say it makes them feel good to breathe new life into what are essentially open air museums. Leonard Thomas, Superintendent of the Hillcrest Cemetery in Deer Lodge, says, “You know, a cemetery is a place to come to reflect on life, not death.” Zena McGlashan is a writer from Butte, currently working on a book about cemeteries. She explains, “Our cemeteries are a metaphor for our past, and if we don’t respect our history, then we lose a lot in the translation.”
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